Closure fastener for hinged packages made of deep drawn plastic foil

ABSTRACT

A deep drawn plastic foil package having two mating halves hinged together for closing and provided with integrally formed closure fasteners is improved by the provision of additional male and female closure fasteners to guide the halves into alignment for engagement of the first-mentioned fasteners.

United States Patent Eisenbach, deceased [15] 3,655,110 1 Apr.l1,1972

CLOSURE FASTENER FOR HINGED PACKAGES MADE OF DEEP DRAWN PLASTIC FOIL Joachim Eisenbach, deceased, late of Klostemeuburg, Austria by Beatrice Eisenbach, administratrix Firma Peter Hinteregger KG, Wiener Neudorf (NO), Austria Filed: Mar. 11, 1970 Appl. No.: 18,659

Inventor:

Assignee:

U.S. Cl. ..229/2.5, 229/44 R Int. Cl ..B65d 1/26 Field of Search ..229/2.5, 44 R, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,351,270 1 H1967 Hohnjec ..229/44 R 3,356,277 12/1967 Hohnjec ..229/2.5

Primary ExaminerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry Att0rneyChristen & Sabol [57] ABSTRACT A deep drawn plastic foil package having two mating halves hinged together for closing and provided with integrally formed closure fasteners is improved by the provision of additional male and female closure fasteners to guide the halves into alignment for engagement of the first-mentioned fasteners.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented A ril 11, 1912 I 3,655,110

CLOSURE FASTENER FOR HINGED PACKAGES MADE OF DEEP DRAWN PLASTIC FOIL The invention relates to an improvement of a type of packaging material made of deep drawn plastic foil which consists of two essentially complementarily formed halves connected with one another by means of a bridging strip, with inserting depressions for the reception of eggs, fruit or other closing of the package lie one above the other. Ad-

vantageously one of the fastening elements engaging in the manner of a press button has on its periphery groove-shaped hollows running in parallel to its longitudinal axis, so that several bridges connected by means of the hollow are formed, which engage resiliently with a common hole-like indentation of the other projection to provide a friction closure.

This package furthermore has spacing projections which upon closure of the package come into abutting engagement with .each other between the inserting depressions, which are arranged at the corners of squares, the height of said projections corresponding to the space between the margins of the halves of the packaging caused by the button-like projections or by the height of the connecting bridging strip between the package halves. Such spacing projections can be provided at the edges of the halves of the packaging, for example at their corners.

Such packaging devices have proven'themselves thoroughly for the shipment of eggs or fruit and the button closure characteristic for such packaging device also fulfills the requirements made of it.

However, it has turned out that the pressure button closure must be made with relatively close tolerances in order to achieve a secure latching engagement with one another. This circumstance now leads to the fact that the final closing must not take place all at once but in succession with regard to the individual closing places, which is time consuming and, not infrequently, a disadvantageous deformation of the closing elements occurs, which indeed consist of a thin plastic foil.

In view of the arrangement of a connecting bridge between the two halves of the package, one must also pay careful attention to the fact that the parts of the closure will come to lie precisely one above the other prior to their engagement, because the connecting bridge represents a kind of double joint, as a result of which a certain relative shifting of the two halves of the package in a transverse direction is possible.

Closing of the known packages by means of machines, namely with the aid of endless belts or similar devices, likewise encounters great difficulties, since the cooperating elements of the button closure, not frequently, do not lie one above the other during closure, a fact which in certain circumstances leads to undesirable deformations. The present invention is an improvement of the known packaging devices with regard to this closure, and to ensure that the closing can take place in a single operation of all elements without leading to a destruction of the parts liable to deformation.

According to the invention this is achieved through the fact that the spacing projections also have fastening elements engaging in the manner of press buttons between the inserting depressions. In this case it will be of special advantage if a male part of a fastening element, engaging in the manner of a press button, is provided at its leading end with a guide cone and that the female part of the fastening element is also provided with a conelike enlargement at its respective leading end.

The formation of the closure of a package according to the invention has as an immediate consequence, that upon closing of the package first of all the button like projection provided with the guide cone comes to engage with its respective fastening element on the spacing projections, so that the other fastening elements, engaging at the next moment, will lie precisely one above the other at the margins of the package. A further advantage of the package according to the invention is that the fastening elements located at the edges and hitherto closely dimensioned can now be made with considerably greater tolerances, because the closure of the package takes place not only at the edges but also at other places, as a result of which a sufficient adhesion of the halves of the package connected with one another will be assured.

As a result of the development of the invention, it is now possible to close, for example, even a l2-pack in one operation of all fastening points, whereas a closure by any given mechanical means is not now possible without the possibility of interruption or breakdown.

A design of the package according to the invention by way of example is to be explained in more detail subsequently on the basis of the drawing. FIG. 1 showing the example in a perspective illustration, FIG. 2 being a section taken along the line ll-ll in FIG. 1.

The package according to the invention consists of two equal complementary halves l, 2 which are connected with one another by means of a bridging strip 3 forming a kind of hinge joint. The package therefore consists of one piece, that is to say all parts formed in one operation by deep drawing of a plastic foil in a single operation by automatic machines known per se for this purpose.

The bridge 3 has two grooves 4, 5, or bending lines, which define a flat middle strip 6. The latter can serve advantageously for the application of finn names, data on quality concerning the goods inserted or similar imprintings.

At the' margins of the two halves l, 2, opposite bridge 3, protuberances or projections A, B produced by deep drawing are arranged, which engage with one another in pairs in the manner of a press button in the closed state of the package.

According to the design shown and presented by way of example, one protuberance A has four longitudinally axial grooves 13 which separate four bridges 14. The sheet material in the grooves and also in a central part forming an indentation 15 will exist only in the form of a small skin after the deformation at these places, whereas the bridges have a sufficient thickness of material required for the necessary rigidity. The purpose of groove 13 is to impart to the bridges 14 a certain centrally directed spring-like resiliency whenever they enter the complementary projection B during closing of the fastener. This projection consists of a hollow cylinder 16, which however has a double wall because of an inverted part 17. This inverted part 17 is present only in the form of a small skin.

Upon closing of the fastener therefore a projection A, each one provided with bridges l4, enters the inside of the projection B which resembles a hollow cylinder and causes a friction closure along its inside wall. In this case his important that this frictional engagement be achieved at many positions along the height of the bridge, with the consequence that the fastener leaves a more or less large distance between the halves 1, 2 of the package. As a result of that, an adjustment to eggs of various sizes is possible, whereby this adjustment during the closing process of the package takes place automatically.

The designs shown by way of example in the drawing have inserting depressions 20 which are formed from three truncated cones 21, 22, 23 which merge into one another. In the closed state of the package, six individual double depressions have been shown therefore, in the present case, which depressions form humps toward the outside and are capable for example of receiving six eggs. In this case the eggs are supported by the walls of the middle truncated cones 22. As can be seen in the drawing, projecting grooves 25 or grooves directed inwardly have been provided on the body of the inserting depressions, which grooves will hold the inserted egg in an elastic and resilient manner.

On the bottom of the inserting depressions there are other indentations, as is well known, which will form an additional cushion for the support of the inserted eggs.

On the three open margins of the package further projections 27 are arranged, which space the two halves 1, 2 of the package in cooperation with the bridge 3 or with the fastening projections A, B. Other projections 28 are also provided between the inserting depressions or humps which projections in the closed state of the package come to lie one upon the other.

The package according to the invention can be stacked with the humps engaging within one another, that is to say practically without any space between them. If one arranges several packages one beside the other in one plane, than it is possible to stack one equal layer of such packages, turned for practical purposes by 90 in relation to the plane of its position, with the humps engaging with one another for shipment packed in cases. According to the invention the projections 28 between the inserting depressions as well as at the margins of the halves of the package, are also provided with a press button fastener. One of the halves of the package has a male closing element in the form of a peg 29, which has been provided with a tapered surface 30 at its point, or leading portion. Otherwise, peg 29,

just like projections A, is provided with bridges 14 which are defined by the arrangement of grooves 13.

The corresponding female fastening element provided on a spacing projection 28 of the other half of the package consists of an indentation 31, which at its outside edge, or leading portion, is provided with a conically tapered enlargement 32 and terminates at its inner end in a thin surface. The indentations 31 are hexagonal in their cross section and the bridges 14 of peg 29 fit against their inside wall with adhesive friction. Upon closing of the package first of all the pegs 29 engage with the complementary indentations 31, whereby a safe entrance is assured through the guide cone 30 or the cone-like enlargement 32. Correspondingly, the pegs 29 serve for the alignment of the two halves of the package, whereupon the fasteners arranged at the margins of the parts of the package meet in precise alignment. The package therefore can be closed in one operation without there being any possibility of an undesirable deformation developing during this as a consequence of an imprecise alignment of the closing elements. Thus, the conditions for machine closure of the packages filled with eggs, for

example is fulfilled through folding of one of the parts of the package between two endless conveying belts, or else through the mere pressure of a finger, and furthermore the tolerances of the cooperating fastening elements can be greater than dimensioned hitherto because the package is fastened in double the number of places previously employed.

It is claimed:

1. In a package of the type wherein two complementary halves are formed with a series of facing deep-drawn compartments, said two halves being joined together along one margin by a bridging strip defining with the respective adjacent margins of the two halves a pair of spaced parallel bending lines whereby the two halves may be folded together along said bending lines in face-to-face closed relationship, said two halves being provided with complementary integrally formed male and female fastening means for respective operative engagement when the package is closed, each of said halves also being provided respectively with at least one spacing projection having a surface for abutting engagement with the respective surface of a spacing projection of the other of said halves when the package is closed, the surface of a spacing projection of one of the halves being provided with an integrally formed male fastening and guiding means for operative engagement with a complementary female fastening and guiding means integrally formed in the respective abutting surface of a spacing projection of the other of said halves, the leading portions of the respective last-mentioned male and female fastening and guiding means being provided with respective complementarily formed tapered guide surfaces for relatively laterally positioning the said first-mentioned male and female fastening means prior to operative engagement of said fastening means.

2. The package defined in claim 1, wherein said first-mentioned male and female fastening means are disposed adjacent the mar ins of said two halves opposite said bridging strip, and said mafe and female fastening and guiding means are positioned at a location on each of the two halves between the bridging strip and said opposite margins.

3. The package defined in claim 2, wherein there are at least two of said last-mentioned male and female fastening and guiding means. 

1. In a package of the type wherein two complementary halves are formed with a series of facing deep-drawn compartments, said two halves being joined together along one margin by a bridging strip defining with the respective adjacent margins of the two halves a pair of spaced parallel bending lines whereby the two halves may be folded together along said bending lines in face-to-face closed relationship, said two halves being provided with complementary integrally formed male and female fastening means for respective operative engagement when the package is closed, each of said halves also being provided respectively with at least one spacing projection having a surface for abutting engagement with the respective surface of a spacing projection of the other of said halves when the package is closed, the surface of a spacing projection of one of the halves being provided with an integrally formed male fastening and guiding means for operative engagement with a complementary female fastening and guiding means integrally formed in the respective abutting surface of a spacing projection of the other of said halves, the leading portions of the respective last-mentioned male and female fastening and guiding means being provided with respective complementarily formed tapered guide surfaces for relatively laterally positioning the said first-mentioned male and female fastening means prior to operative engagement of said fastening means.
 2. The package defined in claim 1, wherein said first-mentioned male and female fastening means are disposed adjacent the margins of said two halves opposite said bridging strip, and said male and female fastening and guiding means are positioned at a location on each of the two halves between the bridging strip and said opposite margins.
 3. The package defined in claim 2, wherein there are at least two of said last-mentioned male and female fastening and guiding means. 